Boat cleaning brush



April 16, 1963 J. M. LEACH BOAT CLEANING BRUSH Filed 001:. 28, 1960 IN V EN TOR.

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Unite tates ate 3,085,541 BOAT CLEANING BRUSH John M. Leach, Port Washington, N.Y. (R0. Box 350, Port Jefferson, NY.) Filed Oct. 28, 196i Ser. No. 65,776 1 Claim. (Cl. 114222) The present invention relates to a cleaning device. More particularly it relates to a cleaning device of the brush type and which is used for cleaning boats.

Still more particularly it relates to a brush which can be used for cleaning those parts of boats which are under water and hard to reach when the boat is in service. The customary procedure is to attempt to clean the bottom of boats by using a brush on the end of a long handle, or, more laboriously, to use a hand brush and attempt to clean the bottom while diving underneath the surface of the water and cleaning a small portion at a time. This usually results in the boat being only partially cleaned at the expense of great effort.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device for the underwater surface of boats which can be used with comfort on the part of the operator and at the same time produce an efiicient and thorough cleaning operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a boat cleaning device which is light in weight, economical to produce and efiicient in operation.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device which can be easily attached to and detached from the foot of an operator.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device for cleaning the underwater surface of boats while in the water in which the brush portion can be quickly adjusted to produce the most efficient cleaning operation on any given cleaning surface of the underwater portion of a boat with maximum comfort and minimum effort on the part of the operator.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description of the invention in its now preferred form proceeds.

For a more detailed description of the invention reference should be had to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, throughout which like reference characters refer to like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the now preferred form of the cleaning device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the invention of FIG. 1 taken substantially on the plane indicated by line 22 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and

FIG. 3 is a view showing a preferred form of use of the cleaning device of the present invention.

The cleaning device of the present invention, referring to FIG. 1, consists of a frame preferably formed of a corrosion resistant metal or plastic which is generally formed to fit the foot of a human being. The frame consists of a fiat section having a turned up heel portion 12 and a curved section 14 which fits up over the toes and instep of the operator. The turned up section 14 and the section 10 are joined together by two members 16 which are suitably attached as by riveting at the top to the member 14 and at the bottom to the section 10.

The turned up portion 14 is provided with a curved section 18 which extends from the toe end of the frame back over the instep to the connection with the members 16.

A suitable brush having a base 20 and suitable bristles 40 is attached to the frame by means of a strip 22 which 3,985,541 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 "ice is connected to the brush base 20 by means of suitable fastenings such as screws 24 which have springs 26 interposed between the heads of the screws and the strip 22. The springs 26 exert sufficient pressure to cause the strip 22 and the brush base 20 to clamp curved section 18 between them so as to hold the brush in any position which it may be placed between the position shown in FIG. 1 in solid lines and approximately the position shown in dotted lines. The adjustment of the position of the brush is effected by sliding the brush 20 from one desired point to another.

A harness is provided for attaching the cleaning device to the foot of a human being and consists of a strap 28 having a buckle 29. The strap 28 is passed through holes 32 in the heel section 12 of the frame and through holes 30 in the section 10 of the frame.

The cleaning device is positioned on the foot of an operator by loosening the buckle 29, inserting the foot into the harness with the strap 28 passing from the heel portion 12 around the ankle of the user, across the instep of the foot and down through one opening 30. The strap 28 then passes up through the other opening 30 around the foot of the operator, over the instep, around the ankle through the other opening 32 and back to the buckle 29. By tightening the strap by means of the buckle 29 the cleaning device is firmly but comfortably fastened to the foot of the operator.

The section 10 is preferably made of a light weight springy material. When the strap 28 is tightened the springy material permits the heel section =12 and section 10 to be drawn into close conformance with the wearers foot and provide a firm connection between the frame and foot.

The box-like construction of the front end of the frame formed by sections 10 and 14 and the members 16 gives solid support to the brush base 20 which taken in combination with the firm fit between the frame and foot gives the wearer positive control of the brush.

In the use of the cleaning device, the operator fastens it to the foot as described above and by holding to the rub rail of the boat or to a line suitably fastened to the boat the operator can without effort but with the use of considerable force brush the bottom surfaces of the boat in the water clean of barnacles, grass and other deposits. When brushing under keel sections such as 34 shown in FIG. 2 the brush would normally be positioned as shown in FIG. 1 so that the operator can exert upward force directly under the keel with a minimum of effort.

When brushing in other areas such as the angle between the keel and the bottom 36 or when brushing bottom surfaces such as 38 the brush will be moved along the curved section 18 so as to enable the operator to contact the surface to be cleaned with the bristles flat against the surface without requiring the operator to distort the normal position of his foot. This permits an operator to exert a maximum of cleaning force against any given underwater surface of a boat with a minimum of effort and without distorting the normal position of his foot. In this manner the bottom of a boat can be thoroughly cleaned with complete comfort on the part of the operator, never requiring the operator to dive underneath the surface or even move his head underneath the surface in order to reach completely any desired surface on the bottom of the boat.

The frame and harness form a protective cage about the wearers foot and effectively protect it from barnacle cuts or being struck against the boat bottom or other underwater objects.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

A cleaner for the underwater areas of boats comprising a frame shaped to fit over and protect a human foot including a curved section which extends from the ends of the toes up and over the instep, means for fastening and retaining the frame on the foot, and an adjustable connection carried by the curved section, a brush fastened to the adjustable connection whereby the brush may be retained in any position from substantially a horizontal extension from the toes to a substantially verticalprojection above the instep so that underwater areas of a boat in various planes can be cleaned by moving the foot to which the frame is fastened without holding the foot in an abnormal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Durel et al Feb. 22,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany May 13,

Great Britain July 27,

Germany Nov. 29,

France Sept. 27, 

